Reviewed by USGSPanama21y ago
M6.5 earthquake 256 km S of Punta de Burica, Panama
Thursday, May 5, 2005, 19:12:21 UTC · 5.710°N, 82.845°W
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 256 km S of Punta de Burica, Panama on Thursday, May 5, 2005, 19:12:21 UTC, at a depth of 18.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.5 on July 31, 2002.
- Magnitude
- 6.5
- Strong · mwc
- Depth
- 18 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
85 kilotons of TNT
That is about 6 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 178 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
4 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Cocos and Nazca plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
18 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 100 km
USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.9 on May 5, 2005. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 248 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.544 km ESE of Burica, PanamaJuly 18, 1934 · 241 km N of this epicenter
- 7.245 km SW of Quebrada de Piedra, PanamaJanuary 20, 1904 · 252 km N of this epicenter
- 7.259 km SSE of Burica, PanamaJuly 26, 1962 · 201 km N of this epicenter
- 7.056 km SSE of Cambutal, PanamaMay 2, 1943 · 299 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.8south of PanamaJuly 18, 1934 · 201 km N of this epicenter
- 6.8146 km S of Punta de Burica, PanamaAugust 19, 1982 · 114 km N of this epicenter
- 6.8228 km WSW of Burica, PanamaMarch 3, 1906 · 240 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.878 km S of Boca Chica, PanamaSeptember 18, 1962 · 210 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 8 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1962M7.4
Panama
26 Jul 1962 · 220 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.5
Puerto Armuelles
1 Jul 1979 · 290 km away
$2 million damage
- 2002M6.5
Baru, Alanje, David; Costa Rica: Laurel
31 Jul 2002 · 247 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1934M7.7
Panama-Costa Rica
18 Jul 1934 · 257 km away
Under $1 million damagetsunami
- 1962M6.8
Costa Rica-Panama
12 Mar 1962 · 256 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1913M6.7
Azuero Peninsula
2 Oct 1913 · 292 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.